The New Moon warrior crumpled at my feet, her lifeless body finally still. I stood there for a moment, catching my breath and steadying myself. The battlefield was still a cacophony of chaos around me—shouts, the clang of steel, the distant rumble of approaching enemies. But in this moment, with one of the New Moon warriors defeated, I allowed myself a brief flicker of relief.
However, there was no time to savor the victory. Rodrick was still locked in a fierce battle with his own New Moon opponent, and beyond them, the barbarians continued their relentless march, pressing forward with a brutality that threatened to overwhelm our forces.
I turned to Aldric and Emory, both of them panting but still battle-ready. Aldric's massive frame was hunched slightly, his warhammer resting on his shoulder, while Emory wiped a streak of blood from his cheek, his twin daggers still gleaming in his hands.
"Rodrick needs us," I said, keeping my voice steady despite the growing exhaustion pulling at me. "We take down the other New Moon warrior, then we hold the line against the barbarians."
Aldric grunted, nodding in agreement. "Right behind you, Your Highness."
Emory gave a quick nod as well, his eyes sharp and focused. "We'll flank him. Rodrick's strong, but he's been fighting that monster for too long. He needs us."
With a final glance at the fallen New Moon warrior, I sheathed the Blade of the Fallen King momentarily to adjust my stance. My aura was still pulsing, but the battle had drained me more than I cared to admit. The fight with the first New Moon had taken everything I had—and now I had to push through again.
We moved quickly, navigating through the carnage of the battlefield, avoiding fallen bodies and broken weapons as we approached the center of the fight. Rodrick was still locked in combat with the hulking barbarian warrior, their auras clashing in brilliant flashes of energy that lit up the night like lightning. Rodrick's face was set in a grim mask of concentration, his movements precise but slowing as fatigue took hold. The barbarian, however, showed no signs of slowing down—his war spear cut through the air with deadly speed, forcing Rodrick to stay on the defensive.
I signaled to Aldric and Emory with a nod, and they quickly moved into position—Aldric taking the left, Emory the right, both prepared to flank the New Moon warrior from either side.
Rodrick glanced at me briefly, his expression hard but filled with a flicker of relief. He didn't need to say anything. He knew we were there to back him up.
The New Moon barbarian, however, was far from pleased. He snarled, baring his teeth as he registered our approach, his aura flaring dangerously. His war spear twirled in his hands with expert precision as he glanced between Rodrick and the three of us, calculating his odds.
"You think you can overwhelm me with numbers?" he spat, his voice dripping with disdain. "I'll tear you apart one by one."
Rodrick answered with a sharp thrust of his sword, forcing the barbarian back a step. "We'll see about that."
I drew the Blade of the Fallen King again, feeling the familiar pulse of energy surge through me as I approached from the front. The New Moon warrior's eyes flicked toward me, recognizing the threat, and he lunged forward, aiming a savage strike at my chest with the spear.
I barely managed to deflect the blow, the impact sending a shockwave up my arms. His strength was overwhelming, far greater than any normal warrior could muster, but I had faced worse in the world of the Path of Heroes. This was no time to back down.
"Now!" I shouted, signaling to Aldric and Emory.
Aldric surged forward with a mighty roar, his warhammer swinging in a wide arc aimed at the barbarian's flank. At the same moment, Emory darted in from the other side, his twin daggers flashing as he aimed for the barbarian's exposed back.
The barbarian was fast—faster than I expected. With a spin of his spear, he blocked Aldric's hammer, the sound of metal clashing ringing through the battlefield. But in doing so, he left himself open for Emory's strike. One of the daggers found its mark, slicing a deep gash across the barbarian's side.
The New Moon warrior howled in pain, staggering back as blood poured from the wound. His aura flared violently, the dark energy swirling around him like a storm. He glared at us, fury burning in his eyes.
"You will pay for that!" he roared, his voice shaking the very ground beneath us.
He launched himself at us with renewed fury, his spear a blur of motion. I barely managed to block the first strike, but the force of it sent me stumbling back. Rodrick stepped in to intercept, his sword clashing with the barbarian's spear in a deadly dance of steel. Aldric swung his warhammer again, this time aiming for the barbarian's legs, but the New Moon warrior jumped back just in time, his eyes wild with rage.
Emory darted in again, this time aiming for the warrior's neck, but the barbarian was ready. With a savage twist of his spear, he deflected Emory's strike and countered with a powerful blow that sent the rogue sprawling to the ground.
"Emory!" I shouted, rushing to his side.
Emory groaned, clutching his side where the barbarian's strike had landed, but he pushed himself to his feet, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. "I'm fine, Your Highness. We can still take him."
I nodded, gripping the Blade of the Fallen King tighter. The barbarian was strong, but he was bleeding, his aura flickering as he struggled to maintain control. We had to finish this—now.
Drawing on the power of the Path of Heroes, I activated another skill, it's actually a skill from the game, the method to combine my skills. Combining the skill of [Berserker Rage] and [Flame Shield], another skill, a skill that I would call [Fiery Berserker] activated, leaving afterimages in my wake. The world seemed to slow around me as I launched forward with blazing momentum, my sword cutting through the air with lethal precision. The barbarian barely had time to react, his spear coming up just in time to block my strike, but I was already behind him, slashing at his exposed back.
The Blade of the Fallen King bit into his flesh, cutting deep. The barbarian roared in pain, his aura faltering as he stumbled forward. Rodrick saw the opening and pressed the attack, his sword driving into the barbarian's chest with a brutal thrust.
For a moment, the barbarian stood still, his eyes wide with disbelief. Then, with a final gasp, he collapsed to the ground, his body falling limp.
Rodrick stepped back, panting heavily, his face grim but victorious. "It's over."
I nodded, wiping the sweat from my brow. "For now."
But even as the words left my mouth, the sound of approaching footsteps filled the air. I turned to see the remaining barbarians still marching toward us, their faces twisted with rage and desperation. There were fewer now, but still too many for comfort.
"We need to fall back to the ridge," I said, my voice urgent. "We can't take them all head-on."
Rodrick wiped his sword clean on the fallen barbarian's tunic and nodded. "Agreed. We hold the line at the ridge and let the archers thin their numbers."
Aldric, still breathing heavily from the fight, grunted in agreement. "I'll take point. We'll hold them off."
We retreated up the ridge, regrouping with the rest of our forces. The knights formed a tight defensive line, their shields raised as the barbarians continued their relentless advance. Behind us, the archers were already in position, their arrows nocked and ready.
"Loose!" came the shout from the archers' captain, and a volley of arrows soared through the air, raining down on the barbarians below. The first wave of enemies fell, their bodies pierced by arrows, but still, the rest pressed on, undeterred by the losses.
Aldric, standing at the front of the line, raised his warhammer high. "Hold steady, men! We break them here!"
The barbarians crashed against our shields with the force of a battering ram, their weapons slashing and stabbing as they tried to break through our defenses. But we held firm, our shields locking together as we pushed back with everything we had.
I fought at Aldric's side, the Blade of the Fallen King cutting down any barbarian that dared to get too close. My aura flared around me, giving me the strength to keep fighting even as exhaustion gnawed at my bones. Emory darted in and out of the line, his daggers flashing as he took out enemies with surgical precision.
The battle raged on, but slowly, we began to push them back. The barbarians were fierce, but they lacked the discipline and coordination of our forces. For every knight they brought down, we cut down three of their own.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the remaining barbarians began to falter. Their numbers had been decimated by the archers' volleys, and their leaders lay dead on the battlefield. One by one, they began to retreat, their morale shattered.
"We've done it!" Rodrick shouted, his voice filled with triumph.
A cheer rose up from the knights as the last of the barbarians fled into the darkness, their march on Eldoria finally broken.